West Chicago's Ok Sought For Work Camp

January 05, 1999|By William Grady, Tribune Staff Writer.

DuPage County officials have agreed to seek approval from West Chicago's Plan Commission and its City Council for the work camp that Sheriff John Zaruba proposes as a sentencing alternative for young adults convicted of lesser crimes.

Under an agreement between the County Board and the DuPage Airport Authority, the work camp will be housed in a former union hall on airport property at 32 W 420 Roosevelt Rd. in West Chicago.

Though the project does not require zoning changes or a building permit, the county apparently wants to placate West Chicago officials who complained last fall that they were not informed about plans for the facility.

The work camp is intended to provide education and job skills to unemployed or underemployed criminals between the ages of 17 and 25.

In recent months, West Chicago and the airport authority board have squabbled publicly over unrelated issues. The two have quarreled over future airport property development, with West Chicago opposed to any consideration of a railport there.

Members of the County Board's Judicial and Public Safety Committee were briefed Monday on the status of the work camp project.

Thomas Janaes, Zaruba's chief of administration, said the sheriff hopes the program will be in operation by May.

Plans for the project have been slowed because the sheriff's office needs to hire replacements for about 20 jail guards who took advantage of the county's early-retirement program last year. Janaes said some jail positions will be filled by civilian staffers, and veteran correctional officers will be assigned to the work camp.

The work camp program will cost about $240,000 a year, but sheriff's officials say it would save the county about $1 million a year by keeping lesser offenders out of jail.

About 10 to 15 offenders at a time would report to the work camp for 12 hours a day, six days a week, under the supervision of armed sheriff's deputies. Participants would split their time among work assignments and classes, job counseling, anger-management sessions and substance-abuse counseling. Participants also might be asked to build and sell items to help defray the program's cost.

Janaes said the building needed cleaning and some minor repairs but no major remodeling.

Also Monday, the Judicial and Public Safety Committee gave preliminary approval to a pay increase, effective March 1, for people called for jury duty in DuPage.

Under the plan, compensation for jurors would be raised to $15 a day from $10 a day, beginning with the second day of jury service. The increase would be paid only to those who serve as jurors for two or more days. Those who are dismissed after a day would continue to receive $10.

The additional $45,000 in funding for the increase was included in the county budget approved in November. The full board is expected to vote next week on the new compensation plan.